Warren h



(No Model.)

W. H. TAYLOR. COMBINATION LOCK.

Patented Mar. 22,1898.

Ill iiiiiiu \IIIH Ill \lll mi mmms PETERS Lu. P

ME TATES WARREN H. TAYLOR, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE YALE & TOWNE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

COMBINATION-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 600,900, dated March 22, 1898.. Application filed December 21, 1896. Serial No. 616,499. (No model.)

To 00% whOm, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WARREN H. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Stamford, in the county of Fairficld and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combination-Lock, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my present invention is to produce a combination-lock the general arrangement of which embraces great simplicity, both in construction and manipulation, while at the same time offering ample security and a very large number of possible combinations.

A further object is to provide, in combination with the tumblers, which are to be set by hand, automatic means for disconcerting the tumblers and dials immediately the unlocking mechanism is released, so as to avoid possibility of the combination being left for observation or in position to permit the lock being unlocked.

Afurther object is to provide a new and improved means for establishing connection between the dials and the tumblers, whereby the said controlling connection may be with facility loosened for changing the combination and then tightened for fixing the parts in their new relations.

My invention consists in novel features of construction whereby the above objects are accomplished, as will be hereinafter fully de scribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front View of a door or other part to be locked and to which my invention is shown applied. Figs. 2 and 3 are edge views of the same, the former showing a casing customarily provided for the inner portions of the lock mechanism and the latter showing such lock mechanism without the casing. Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations of the inner side of the door with and without the casing and corresponding, respectively, to Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through the axis of rotation of the dials and tumblers. Figs. 7 and 8 are perspective views showing, respectively, the groups of parts which go to make up the two independently-movable parts of the combination mechanism and showing preferred forms of means for establishing and releasing the turning connection between each dial, and its tumbler. Fig. 9 represents a slightly-modified construction of the finger carried by the automatic disconcerting-lever.

1 represents a door, such as a door of a post-office lock-box or any other part upon which the lock is to be located in use.

2 is a 1ocking-bolt which is mounted to slide in bearings 3 and has a projecting spring 4.

5 is an unlocking-lever which, when not opposed by tumblers to be described, may be moved by hand through means of a stud 6, projecting outward through a small slot 7 in the door 1, which slot is at all times covered on the inside by an enlargement of the unlocking-leve1x Unlocking movement imparted through stud 6 to lever 5 is transmitted to the locking-bolt 2 through a stud 8 on said bolt, which stands in normal engagement with one end of a slot 9, formed in the unlocking-lever, which slot, however, extends sufficiently in a direction to permit movement of the stud independently when the bolt is forced back in the act of shutting the door. The lever 5 is fulcrumed or pivoted at 10 and carries a fence 11, by which said lever is prevented from movement except when the notches 12, forming the gate of tumblers 13 and 14, are properly concerted over said fence.

Thus far no novel features are described.

15 represents the disconcerting-lever,which is conveniently formed of two parts and may be conveniently fulcrumedor pivoted at 10. It has secured by pivot 17 between the two parts of its upper end a finger 16, resting by gravity or spring-pressed upon the peripheries of the tumblers and of such shape that when the lever 15 is forced back the forward edge of the finger will engage in the teeth of the tumblers, and when said lever returns the dials and tumblers will be rotated a limited distance. If the return movement of the lever be accomplished with a snap, the momentum of the parts will carry them a little beyond where they are left by the finger. Moreover, if the tumblers, together with their connected dials, have unequal inertia, as they generally will have, then one tumbler and dial will move farther than the others and the chliteration of the combination made still more effective.

To set the disconcerting-lever simultaneously as the fence enters the gate 12, unlocking-lever 5 carries a stop 18, which engages the said disconcerting-lever. This takes place as the unlocking-lever is moved by hand to withdraw the bolt after setting the combination. The disconcerting-lever is conveniently made automatic by means of spring 19, fulcrumed at 20. This spring (or, if preferred, a separate spring) may be conveniently made to bear against the unlocking-lever, as shown at 21, to keep that lever normally in locked position and the fence withdrawn from the gate, another bearing being formed for said spring upon the spacing-sleeve inserted between the two parts of said disconcertinglever.

When the unlocking-lever is rocked upon its pivot, the fence enters the previously-arranged gate, and the finger 16 is moved outward and made to engage the peripheries of the tumblers and exerts pressure upon them by reason of the spring 19 and tends to rotate them. This tendency is, however, resisted by the fence in the gate until the former has wholly escaped from the latter, and inasmuch as the stop 18 has by this time considerable lead over the disconcerting-lever the latter moves with a snap and produces the disconcerting effect already described. 1

If the construction shown in Fig. 9 is employed, the finger 16 will act by gravity. If, however, it is desired to make this engagement more positive, the finger may be provided with an offset 22 to receive the spring 19, and thus adapt said spring to perform the twofold duty of forcing the outer end of the finger downward into engagement with the tumblers and imparting movement to lever 15. With this construction it is desirable to have a stop 23, which will engage the extension 22 as the lever reaches its limit and release the finger from engagement with the tumblers.

24 represents a small spring or brake-shoe which may be employed in connection with one or both of the tumblers and which is carried by the lever 15, so that when said lever completes its movement the tu mblerswill be prevented from racing, and so that if used in connection with but one of the tumblers that one will be retarded more than the other at the time of disconcerting them and the two notches forming the gate not only be removed from the fence, but separated from each other. Another use for these brakes, however, is to hold the tumblers against movement of one by the other through'frictional contact of their connections when setting the combination.

The construction of the combination mechanism is as follows:

As illustrated, the lock has two tumblers 13 and 14, nested or placed one behind the other,with a common axis of rotation, and connected, respectively, to the shaft 25 and sleeve 26, through which said shaft passes, but about which it is independently rotatable. As will be seen from Figs. 6, '7, and 8, the tumblers are provided with disks 27 28, adapted, respectively, for engagement with the shaft 25 and sleeve 26, by which the tumblers are to be turned, and said tumblers are also provided with clampingplates 29 30, having spacing-bosses 29 30, and steady-pins 29 30 and adapted to be clamped by clamping-screws 31 32, by which the respective disks, while in engagement with the shaft or sleeve, may be clamped fast to the tumblers to bring the latter under control of the dials 33 and 34:, which carry said shaft and sleeve and which are upon the outer face of the door 1. The disk 27 is secured to shaft 25 by fitting upon the squared head 25, while the disk 28 is secured to sleeve 26 by having a feather 28, which enters a slot 26 in the sleeve. These clamping means also permit the tumblers to be readily released from their controlling-dials by simply loosening screws 31 32 and to be adjusted in a rotary direction for changing the combination, after which the screws 31 32 are tightened.

The clamping-screws are preferably formed with squared heads, and the innermost tumbler has an opening. which is located so as to give access to the clamping-screw of the tumbler beneath it when the gates are in position to admit the fence.

35 is the casing, which is preferably placed over the inner lock mechanism, and this is provided with a perforation 36 to give access to the clamping-screw 31 and a perforation 37 to give access to the screw 32. In order, therefore, to change the combination, it is necessary to bring the parts to unlocked position and hold them there with the fence in the gate and then loosen the two clamps, after which the front dials are turned to any desired points to form a new combination and the clamps again tightened. It will be observed that this is very easily done, as the fence affords convenient means for engaging the tumblers and holding them in proper relation without necessity of observation of anything other than the front dials. While this novel means for establishing controlling connection and releasing the tumblers to permit changes in the combination may be preferable, it is nevertheless not indispensable to the operation of the other features of my present invention, as any well-known means for accomplishing the same result might be employed.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that we have two tumblers which must be set up before the lock may be unlocked. These tumblers work independently of each other, so that the only instruction necessary to be given to operate the lock will be that a certain mark on the large dial be brought together with a certain one of the surrounding marks and that certain two marks on the two IIO dials be brought together, or to change the combination that the lock be held in unlocked position and screws seen through perforations 36 and 37 be loosened and then selected marks on the dials and surrounding scale be brought into coincidence to form a new combination and screws again tightened.

The periphery of the inner dial, or that which is against the outer face of the door, extends beyond the periphery of the outer dial, and surrounding it are marks, which may be numbered or lettered or otherwise designated. These surrounding marks are preferably of an even number, while the marks on the larger dial are preferably of an odd number. Therefore but one mark on the dial will register with a mark on the door at the same time. This adds very much to the difficulty of picking up the combination by sight or otherwise. In like manner the outer or smaller dial is divided into an even number of spaces, one of which is selected for registering with one of the odd number of marks on the larger dial. It is therefore possible to make up a combination in which any one of the odd number of marks on the large dial may be made to register with any one of the marks surrounding it and also in which any one of the marks on the outer or smaller dial must register with one of the odd number.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In combination with a lock having a tumbler to be set by hand, unlocking mechanism under the control of said tumbler, an independently pivoted disconcerting lever directly engaged by the unlocking mechanism and set thereby, and a pivot-finger resting normally tangential to the tumbler, carried by the moving end of the disconcerting-lever, and adapted to drop into engagement with the tumbler as the lever is set, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a combination-lock, the combination of a tumbler having a notched or ratchet edge, and an independent spring-pressed disconcerting-lever suitably pivoted in position to be directly engaged by unlocking mechanism and set by. the unlocking movement of the latter and a pivoted finger carried by the disconcerting-lever and permitted to drop into engagement with the edge of the tumbler, as the lever is set, substantially as explained.

3. In combination with a lock having a tumbler to be set by hand, an unlocking-lever having a fence by which it is controlled by said tumbler, a disconcerting-lever directly engaged by the unlocking-lever in the unlocking movement of the latter, and thereby set, a spring for returning said disconcerting-lever, and a finger for engaging said tumbler,

carried by the disconcerting-lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with a lock having a controlling-tumbler,a disconcerting-lever, means whereby said disconcerting-lever is actuated, and a brake carried by said disconcerting-1e: ver and arranged to be brought against the tumbler, in the normal position of the disconcerting-lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a combination-lock, having a tumbler and a shaft or sleeve through the medium of which it may be set, a disk held on said shaft or sleeve, and an adjustable frictional clamp carried by the tumbler and having a bearing upon the flat face of said disk for making turning connection between the tumblers and shaft or sleeve, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with alock havinga tumbler, and a shaft or sleeve whereby the tumbler is to be turned, a disk constructed to engage said shaft or sleeve, a clamp carried by the tumbler and engaging the disk to hold it to the tumbler, and a set-screw controlling said clamp, whereby it may be loosened at will for changing the position of the tumbler relatively to its shaft or sleeve, as herein explained.

7. In combination with a lock having controlling-tumblers, and means for independently turning them, disks engaging the respective turning means, clamps carried by the tumblers and engaging the respective disks, and set-screws controlling the respective clamps, one of said tumblers having an opening positioned to disclose the clampscrew of the tumbler beneath it when the tum blers are in unlocked position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In combination with a lock having controlling tumblers, the concentrically arranged shaft and sleeve, having controlling relation with the respectivp tumblers, the disk having a squared or faced opening engaging a similarly-formed part on the shaft, a disk having a feather engaging a slot in the sleeve, and clamps substantially as described, carried by the respective tumblers, and engaging the respective disks, for the purpose set forth.

9. In combination with a lock having controlling-tumblers, and means whereby they may be turned for setting them, clamping connections between the tumblers and their controlling means, set-screws for controlling said clamping connections, an opening in one tumbler disclosing the set-screw in the tumbler beneath, and a cover for the lock mechanism having openings disclosing both said set-screws, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' WARREN n. TAYLOR.

'Witnesses:

SCHUYLER MERRITT, GEO. E. WHITE.

ICC 

